A member of the Sorel Black Hawks in 1968-69, Dan Bouchard guided his team to the 1969 Memorial Cup tournament before playing one season with the London Knights of the OHA-Jr league. After a two-year stint in the AHL where he was an AHL First Team All-Star with the Boston Braves and a one game stint in the CHL with the Oklahoma City Blazers, Bouchard was claimed by the fledgling Atlanta Flames where, after enduring the growth pains of expansion, he consistently won more games than he lost, year in and year out.

Bouchard credits his longevity, which consisted of 14 NHL seasons, to some useful advice given by Frank Mahovlich. In Bouchard's first-ever NHL start, the Big M popped a slapper past the rookie netminder and while cruising past the net said, "One of many, kid. One of many!" Thanks to Big Frank, Bouchard learned to live with conceding goals while coveting victories.

By 1981, Bouchard was traded to the Quebec Nordiques where he savoured many more wins in the company of a talent-laden squad that set new battle lines across the province of Quebec. The Montreal Canadiens had a serious rival on their hands and Dan Bouchard was there to glove most of the bullets.

Bouchard concluded his NHL career in 1986 with the Winnipeg Jets. From there, he played for three weeks in Switzerland before a serious knee injury put him on the shelf for good. After packing away his pads, Bouchard served as a goaltending coach for the Nordiques.